Effect of chives (Allium fistulosum L.) on growth performance and immune response of local chicken

摘要

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary chive supplementation on growth performance, hematological and biochemical blood parameters, and fecal E.coli of growing chickens. One-day-old chickens (Noi Lai breed; n=120) were allocated to a completely randomized design with four replicates of four levels of fresh chives: 0, 1, 1.5 and 2% in the diet (DM basis). There were linear improvements in growth rate and feed conversion of the chickens as the level of chives in the diet increased from 0 to 2% (DM basis) of the diet. There were no effects of chive supplementation on hematological and biochemical indices in blood. E. coli were shown to be susceptible to chive extracts (MIC test); however, supplementation with chives at up to 20g/kg diet DM had no apparent effect on fecal E. coli counts. It is suggested that chives could be considered as a prebiotic for natural growth promotion in chickens.